‘Our best value Quantum yet’: DiGiCo takes us inside its new Quantum 225 console

DiGiCo has unveiled a brand new addition to its Quantum console line in the form of the Quantum 225, with the company hailing it as the range’s best value model yet.

The British console giant made the surprise announcement at a prize draw dubbed New Year New Hope today (February 12), in which three out of 10,000 entrants were selected to win a DigiGrid MGB MADI to SoundGrid interface, the first of the newly launched KLANG:kontrollers (serial No.1) and an unspecified Quantum console. What those entrants didn’t know was that the console in question would be the brand new Quantum 225.

“We thought we should begin 2021 with a bit more positivity after 2020 being pretty devastating for everyone in our industry,” DiGiCo general manager Austin Freshwater told Audio Media International. “We wanted to help people get ready for whenever things start getting back to normal.”

Designed for use in a wide range of applications, the Quantum 225 comes with a DQ-Rack with integrated Dante, making it suitable for AV installs and AoiP networking environments. It can also be specified with an MQ-Rack for MADI connectivity in live sound and touring settings.

This multi-functionality, Freshwater said, allows DiGiCo to pursue active AV and installation opportunities, while offering a cost-effective option for the touring market when it eventually emerges from lockdown.

“We are keen to be sympathetic to our core business because we want to make sure that the live touring industry, rental companies and engineers understand that we know the world isn’t there yet,” he explained. “This is an introduction, and it will be here for them when the live market is back. But we’ve got a new Dante rack that it enables us to go after some of the installation business that’s out there at the moment, because there are opportunities in install all around the world, which is pretty much what has kept us going.

That will be our focus until our traditional live industry comes back.”

The console comes with 72 input channels with 36 busses + Master Buss and a 12×12 Matrix. Also incorporate are four MADI ports and dual DMI ports for added connectivity; 8 x 8 analogue and 4 AES channels for local I/O; built-in UB MADI; optional optics and Waves SoundGrid; plus dual PSU.

Familiar features from the existing Quantum Range, including Mustard Processing channel strips, Spice Rack plugin style native FPGA processing options, Nodal Processing and True Solo, are also included. There is also a 17-inch, full colour, daylight bright, TFT multitouch screen with the Quantum Dark application, seen on the Quantum338, combined with 41 mini TFTs located across the surface to provide user feedback and interaction.

Maria Fiorellino, DiGiCo marketing manager, highlighted the company’s commitment to the live industry, noting that while installation is the current focus for Quantum 225, it is equally suited to the touring market as soon as it returns.

“We haven’t forgotten about the touring market – this is very much us saying we’re here and ready when you’re ready,” she commented. “It’s not a case of us launching this product and expecting you to buy it now – we know the timing isn’t right on the live side of things. So introducing the Dante rack is a big deal for us. And this is a new (as yet undisclosed) price point for DiGiCo”.

“It’s not a replacement, it’s an addition to the range,” Freshwater concluded. “It will be our best value quantum console yet. “It offers a platform for everybody. It fits into the corporate AV world, it works in the installation world, it can go into the house of worship market. In each of those different verticals, including the live market, it gives you options. And if you’re using it for front of house or monitors you can use it in a way that suits your workflow.”

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